Confessions from Confusion
by Himitsu Miko
Summary: Winry helps sort out Ed’s confusion and plays matchmaker at the same time. Elricest rated for incest and others


**A/N:** Happy Halloween! Ugh, this's been in the work for forever, I just got around to finishing and posting it though 'cause I wanted a FMA Halloween one-shot. When I get back from my mom's on the first I'mma post my KH one and Halloween chappies on my fics. Don't get sick off of candy, but eat as much as you can! XD

**Summary: ** Winry helps sort out Ed's confusion and plays matchmaker at the same time. Elricest

**Word count: **1,706

Ed couldn't sleep. Well, he supposed he _could_ but tonight, it was damn near impossible for him. He got up off his bed, glad they had gotten Al's body back recently and he wasn't awake to know Ed was leaving the room. He quietly exits and tip-toes to the kitchen hoping that food would help. Stumbling into the kitchen, he saw someone he didn't expect to be up at midnight.

"Winry?" He asks looking at the blonde working on mechanics in the middle of the night. Yup, could only be Winry.

She jumps slightly before turning around. "God, you scared me. Can't sleep either?"

Ed shakes his head and slumps into the chair next to her. "Not for lack of trying tough, I assure you. I just have a......question on my mind and it's keeping me up."

"Oh? What's the question?" she asks screwing in another bolt, tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration.

Ed turns sideways in his chair, slumping down until his neck was resting on the edge of the table, hip on the very edge of the chair and legs stretched in front of him, his eyes open just enough to be able to look and see Winry's face to gauge her reactions. "What's......What's so wrong with incest anyways?"

"Well, I guess that depends on who you are, what you believe in, your morals and lots of other things." She shrugs placing another piece in it's spot ready to bolt it in. "Why do you ask?"

Ed ignores her question and continues with his. "Then why's it illegal? Laws can't just be for morality."

"Well, if you go far enough down the line with it-more than a couple generations-it can cause problems with the children. But, I suppose, laws can't stop people from having sex, can it? Just prevent them from marriage but some people never get married in the first place. There are ways around every rule if you look hard enough. And besides, if you love someone enough you don't need a ring to show it." She got the hint that Ed didn't want to answer the why question-at least not yet-so she left it off and continued working on the automail in front of her. _His_ automail in front of her.

"It's never official without the ring though. You're still eligible, no matter who you like, why or how much you like them the possibility of break-up is still higher so long's the ring's not present, or so it seems. Hmm, wonder why..." Ed muses absently closing his eyes fully and thinking for a bit. "There are exceptions to every rule, though, right?" he asks after a minute.

"Sure, you just have to find the loop-hole." She puts down the project and looks at Ed.

"Too bad I never find loop-holes," Ed grumbles and Winry raises an eyebrow.

"You asking for you and Al?" She asks and watches as Ed tenses before sighing and relaxing.

"And now you're probably disgusted beyond all hell," Ed sighs, shoulders sagging, before looking at Winry wearily and she pushes the mechanics from in front of her, turning to face Ed full on.

"Not really. I mean, it's kinda been a fleeting thought for me every now and then. Its part of what I've always liked about you, you're not afraid to show that you've broken the 'rules'." She shrugs, looking down at her lap. "I'm not some homophobic and incest-phobic person. I mean, sure part of it hurts 'cause I've always liked you, but it's nice to know that you're finally trusting me with _something_, ya know?" She looks back up eyes shinning with unshed tears in the dim moon-light. But as soon as Ed blinked the tears were gone along with any trace of them. She offers a small yet genuine smile, albeit slightly sad. "It's nice to know you've found happiness somewhere. Even if it's not in me."

"That's the thing though," Ed grumbles feeling like shit for accidentally almost making Winry cry. "I haven't told him yet. I mean, there's the whole 'forbidden' thing, and now we have to figure out what we're going to do now that he's got his body back, and then.........then there's rejection." He whispered the last three words, know that was exactly what Winry was feeling at the moment and that he shouldn't still be talking about it with her since it was making her sad and him feel more like shit with every word that left his mouth. But he was unable to stop, and it's not like he wasn't used to feeling like shit anyways.

"'Forbidden' meaning the whole law thing?" She asks and Ed nods. "Well then, you're loop-hole is the fact that you wouldn't have been able to get married in the first place, much less have kids. And your little quests shouldn't put your whole life on hold until you complete them. Multiple problems can be addressed at the same time. Now, sure rejection hurts and everything, but that's part of life. Sure you have abandonment issues cause your dad left when you were so young and that's why you don't let people in, but Al knows you and even if he doesn't like you like that, he won't shun you for it. You're his only biological family left."

Ed sat and thought about it. He was still thinking about it as Winry kissed his cheek and waltzed to her room for sleep. He was still thinking about it as forced himself to climb back into bed. He was still thinking about it as his eyes drifted closed and he fell asleep. He was still thinking about it.....

**.~.~.~.**

Al woke up and knew something was slightly off.....Or was something in its rightful place for the first time ever? He hoped the latter as he climbed out of bed, stretched, yawned and slipped from the room, leaving his brother to sleep and stumbling into the kitchen.

"Let Ed sleep for a while, he was up late last night," He turns his head to the source of the voice to see a smiling Winry in a baggy shirt and short shorts. Presumably what she slept in.

"How do you know?" Al asks curiously, cocking his head to the side.

"Cause he was talking to me while I was working on his arm," She offers handing him a plate of breakfast.

"Then why aren't you still sleeping?"

"Simple. I don't feel like it. Besides, I still have work to do." She smiles brightly at him as he sits at the table but he could tell something was slightly off about it. He shrugged it away, though, knowing if she wanted to tell him, she would. She leans in the empty door frame and watches him eat for a bit.

"Hey Al?" She asks a curious look in her blue eyes as she looks into his coal ones.

"Hm?" he replies.

"How do you feel about your brother?"

Al shrugs. "He's my brother and I love him. He's the only family I have left and he tries so hard for me. It makes me happy."

"That's it?" She asks, gently sitting in a chair across the table from him and leaning forward onto the table.

"What did you want me to say?" Al asks cocking his head to the side slightly, innocently.

Winry shrugs hands going up with her shoulders. "I want you to say the truth, and if that's the full truth, then I'll take it. If not, I want the rest." She loved Ed enough to make him happy, no matter the price. She could always find someone else.

Al looks down at his breakfast and plays with it a little, mumbling something.

"What was that?" Winry asks him. "Speak up, or people will never hear you."

"Maybe it's not the full truth...?" it came out like a question which slightly exasperated Winry (at this rate she was going to go pre-maturely grey) but she still managed her cool façade.

"Then why don't you tell _him_ that?" She asks crossing her arms and setting them on the table, leaning forward slightly.

Al shakes his head. "He'd flip out. Saying something about sin, and the law and all of that." He sighs. "It just wouldn't turn out right."

"You never know that if you don't try." The blonde gently pushes. "you won't get totally rejected, I know that."

The younger looks up, eyes shinning with curiosity. "How?"

"A litter conversation. Get up. Go. Wake him and tell him. And then kiss him senseless and put him straight back to sleep. He needs it." Winry nods her head sharply in the direction of the brothers' room. Any sacrifice to make the two boys happy was a sacrifice she was willing to make. They were her brothers, if not in flesh in blood, then in spirit.

Al looks at her, his thanks in his eyes and he walks gently back to the room he came out of just a few minutes before. Winry sighed. She loved them, she really did, but she couldn't help but wish she was the one waltzing into the room and planting a kiss on Ed's lips. Well, a girl could dream.

**.~.~.~.**

"Brother," Al says softly shaking Ed awake.

"Nrgh," He groans. "What time is it?"

Al smiles slightly at his brother. "Its time for me to tell you something." With those words Ed felt totally awake if Al needed him, so help me god, Ed was there for him.

"What is it, Al? something wrong?" Ed sits up and, in turn, it pushes Al down to the elder's lap. Pleasant accident.

"No, well, maybe." Al sighs and twiddles his thumbs on his lap, looking down at them. "I....I.....I love you."

"I love you too, what's wrong?" Ed pushes being as dense as he ever was.

Al shakes his head. "No, I mean, I love you. More than a brother. More than a sibling. More than Winry. I love you." Al blinks back tears threating to fall. He'd save those for the rejection sure to follow.

Ed was speechless for a couple of seconds before he shook his head to clear it. "I......I love you too."

**A/N: **and here we end. Nice a fluffy ^^"

Your Author,

Evelynn


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